Aspects disclosed herein relate to a multiple towed attraction, emulation, and response alteration system that can include multi-mode emitter systems, multiple control systems, maneuver, propulsion, high and/or low speed support structures, as well as multiple towing and communication systems.
Some types of attraction, emulation, and/or response alteration (AERA) systems include a remotely operated towed system that can employ an underwater attraction body which can be towed behind a vessel on a combination tow and signal fiber optic tow cable (“FOTC”). For example, a towed AERA systems can only be used for short durations, and are typically unrecoverable, a “one-and-done” type attraction/emulation/response alteration. Furthermore, the current towed entity of interest AERA system can only be used for a narrow range of activities projected by receiving or transmitting entity or entities. Additionally, maintaining and preserving a fired, launched, or deployed towed AERA body is intensive due to its susceptibility to environmental conditions such as wind, rain, and salty oceanic conditions.
An apparatus in accordance to an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a towed AERA system with improved capabilities beyond those of existing launched, fired, or deployed, including a towed, anti-threat AERA countermeasure systems. An active towed AERA system can combine current AERA system's components such as a remotely operated input and output interface, a local input and out interface, a power supply, a winch system, and a FOTC with a towed AERA body. A towed AERA body can provide the ability for a host vessel to transmit radio frequencies to the towed AERA body that can emulate behavior of another entity such as a whale or the towing vessel's noise, such as, for example, propeller noise, engine noise, and vessel's frequencies, which can be more attractive to a receiving or transmitting entity. Additionally, a towed AERA body can utilize a signal cutout switch in combination with onboard control and sensor systems to enable it to act independent of a towing vessel's remotely operated input and output interface. Furthermore, a towed body, e.g., an attraction, emulation, or response alteration body, can have the ability to have different types of modules swapped in and out of it so that the towed AERA body can emulate different types of entity of interest characteristics such as a whale or aquatic entity sound, vessel frequencies, engine noise, propeller noise, or the like which can also be determined based on a type of vessel the towed body follows. For example, a receiving entity can be a whale that the towing vessel seeks to encourage the whale to alter its path or response to the output of the towed AERA body.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, an attraction, emulation, and response alteration system can include a remote operated input and output interface, and a local input and output interface. Both the remote operated input and output interface, and local input and output interface have the ability to actively control a towed AERA body. The local input and output interface can be attached to a multiplexer, which can give a towed AERA body the potential to add a plurality of connections, which can allow for additional towed AERA bodies to be attached to the towed AERA body. Additionally, a multiplexer can be a way path to select AERA settings depending on the threat that a vessel encounters, such as, for example, the AERA setting can draw a threat toward a low value unit, instead of a high value unit.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a FOTC can have a plurality of buoyancy nodes spaced from a winch system to a towed AERA body such as the first mobile structure. An exemplary buoyancy node acts as a flotation device to the FOTC to help address stress caused by drag from weight of the FOTC. A buoyancy node can be for example, a can buoy, conical buoy, spherical buoy, pillar buoy, or the like. An embodiment of the buoys can include a shape or design that reduces drag. The buoy system can also include a maneuvering system which can adjust orientation of the buoys with respect to a towing structure as well as towed mobile structures such as the first and second mobile structures.
In an exemplary embodiment a towed attraction body can be quickly deployed and activated. In embodiments a towed AERA body can have an increased effectiveness by being able to withstand long durations in rough environmental conditions allowing vessels to continuously have an active towed AERA body in the water.
In certain embodiments a towed system can convert from a stand-alone attraction system with an active electronic attraction (EA) payload to a more sophisticated electronic emulation or response alteration platform with the ability to send and received payload information via a FOTC, such as, for example a towed AERA body can receive, amplify, and return, e.g., radio frequency signals from a transmitting entity that can present a higher profile or attractive sensed presence to attract attention from the receiving or transmitting entity.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.